Trapped
by White Butterfly
Summary: Yugi spends his days and nights training, yet he continues on with his normal life. How can this be? He feels trapped in this vicious cycle.


Disclaimer: I do not claim any rights to Yu-Gi-Oh! or any other associated logos or characters.

* * *

Trapped

* * *

He could see the city below him. The surrounding hills were brown and red. The city's lights were dim.  
"Come now, you have training to do."  
The master's voice came from behind him. He turned around.  
"I shouldn't have to come and fetch you. Especially from here. Or maybe not..."  
The master's face began to smile.  
"Inside the city there are ten people for you to duel. They all have a locket hidden on them. Beat them all and come back. They are quite experienced and you have three hours to beat them all. Time will start once you enter the city. And remember last night's lesson. Use the combinations sparingly as they are tricky. Now go!"

He was transported into the city.  
"Here we go" he said to himself, wanting this to end.  
-

Endless nights spent training under the master, sleeping during the day. One would wonder how Yugi was able to go to school, do his homework, watch Joey practise his strategy and Tea become more confident in her game, watch Tristan try to get a girlfriend, watch if Tea asked him to watch her practise her ballet, duel his friends, go to the arcade, help his grandpa in the game shop and to protect the millennium puzzle.

It wasn't him though.

Yami was doing this all for him. Nobody noticed the difference as they had grown so alike. Even Tea didn't notice.  
Yugi was locked in a cycle of having hard nights training to improve his dueling. Spent learning strategies, what other people's strategies were, how to guess and make the best use of bluffing, card combinations, how he could beat someone in five minutes flat, effective ways of battle and how to preserve his strength so that he could duel successive matches. Of course the master didn't care about the heart of the cards or being a friend to every duelist. Yugi had to please the master or his training would be even worse.  
And then after his training he had to rest. Not his body, because that was sleeping, but his mind. He slept the days and woke up just in time for his training. It was a hard cycle.

And nobody could help him.

-

Yami was asleep, snoring lightly.  
Yugi woke up. He knew that it would be time soon to do training. He yawned as he sat up. He decided to wake Yami up to find out what had happened during the day.  
"Nothing much. Joey squirted ketchup all over himself at lunch and Tea did some pointe practise. Your mother made meatballs and spaghetti. Your grandpa gave you another card. Golden carp. Adds 500 attack points to a given monster. Also allows the monster to cast any spells it can do. Homework was biology. Food chains and cycles. Decided to do it on fish."  
"Thank yo..u" Yami was already asleep. "Guess I'm not the only one who's tired."  
Yugi sat down and waited. He looked through everything that happened at class. Yami was a great mental note taker.

Half the night had passed before Yugi realised that the master had said he would be gone for a few days as he had to look at some other students.  
"Maybe I could go to school tomorrow instead of Yami doing it..." he pondered.  
When Yami woke up Yugi offered to go.  
"NO!" With that Yami pushed him hard and Yugi fell into unconsciousness.

He woke up again at lunch-time. He tried again. Yami pushed against him but for a moment Yugi was in control.  
"Mmmhpf"  
"Yugi! Are you all right?"  
Yami was back in control as he replied, "I'm fine Tea, I'm fine," as he waved off Tea's concern.

"This isn't working, Yami's too strong for me. Maybe I should rest more." Yugi said afterwards as he watched Yami and his friends talk.  
He lay down and fell off into sleep.

-

Yugi slept. He dreamt about the city. That was hard that lesson. Afterwards the master had to go through everything he had done and ask him why he had done it. He dreamed that he was standing on top of the ridge, just him alone, the lights were on but no-one was there. He dreamt of being free of this horrible life. He saw Yami as the pharaoh. He also saw why Yami didn't want him to be in control anymore.  
"I want a body. That's why I found the master to keep you awake at night and exhaust you so I could be you. I don't want you to try again!" Yami turned around, his cloak flaring and obscuring him from view.

Yugi slept on and on, his first true sleep in ages. He dreamed all sorts of things. He saw himself playing with his cards when he was five. He saw his mom crying over a letter and he saw his mom put a photo of a man he did not remember away. He saw the first day that Bakura came into his class. He saw himself battling Maximillion Pegasus. He saw Marik, Ishizu and Odion leave for Egypt on their boat. He saw himself helping Grandpa in the shop. And then he dreamed of things that may happen. He dreamt of his first kiss. He saw himself taking an exam. He saw himself grown up and dueling. He saw himself with a young boy holding dueling cards. And he saw into a future where he no longer lived. Glass towers and multi-coloured pavements with roars coming from various buildings, from young duelists of the age.

He saw a blond girl with slightly spikey hair. She was dueling against another girl this time with brown hair.  
"Go Elfin king!"  
"My Freedom leader has 200 more attack points."  
"But I attached Golden koi to my Elfin king, adding 500 attack points and allowing him to cast any spell he can do. So I attack with Leaf spear!"  
"Not fair Miyugi! You've got better cards than me!"  
"You just don't know how to use your cards properly that's all Iyata. Your turn."

The scene dissolved. Another scene took place. The girl Miyugi and the brown haired Iyata were with four other kids. One was a long hared girl who looked very pretty in the pastel shades that she wore.  
"I tell you Moto," she said talking to the blond girl, "that Sakura maiden is a good defensive card, used with other shrine characters it got me through my battle with Goru over there.' She pointed to the brown haired boy.  
"Be as it may Kira, that wouldn't pace a match very well especially against Isato. He plays defensively until he draws a dragon card."  
"But Jouichi does that as well and I beat him almost all the time!"  
"You do not beat me all the time, Kira!" A blond boy stomped over to them and started arguing.  
Yugi continued to watch as the whole group started arguing and then burst into laughter.  
That scene dissolved as they finished laughing.

He saw another scene this time it was the blonde girl again but older. She was holding a picture that was old but in colour. There were drops of water on the glass.  
"Grandpa..." She sniffed. "I know that I take after you but I wish I knew you better. Especially since you left me this." She looked down beside her. It was the millennium puzzle. Yugi gasped but didn't wake from his dream.  
"I wish I knew what this was.." Miyugi's voice floated to Yugi as his dream faded.

Yugi continued to have dreams as time passed on. He grew stronger as he slept. A couple of days went by...

Yugi woke up. He remembered all his dreams.  
"My dad he left.." Yugi started sobbing as he remembered all of his dreams. "Why did Yami want to do this to me!" He was racked with pain and memories. He continued sobbing until he remembered the girl.  
"She had the Millennium puzzle. I wonder why.." Yugi gasped. "She was called Moto." He started laughing.  
"Maybe there is hope for me after all. I'll stop the master and overthrow Yami." Yugi briefly looked at that last remark and wondered if Yami had been overthrown before.  
"Nah he's too strong." Yugi peeked out to see what time it was. Yami was in his room getting ready for bed.  
"It must be almost time for the master to come.."

Feeling sure and confident Yugi sat down and waited. A while after Yami had gone to sleep the master appeared.

"I hope that you have been practising and not getting in Yami's way."  
Yugi didn't reply.  
"I don't have time for your surliness! Come on it's time for your training and I've got some new challenges for you." The master smiled knowing that the challenges would be very tough indeed.  
Yugi didn't move. He just sat there with his knees up to his chin waiting.  
The master prepared to grab Yugi by the collar and drag him up but Yugi got up slowly before he could move. He turned around to face the master. He felt calm and sure that he would win.  
"I WON'T CONTINUE ON LIKE THIS!" With that Yugi pushed against the master with all his force trying to push him out of his mind. The master was startled for a moment but then pushed back against Yugi.  
"Ha. You won't get rid of me that easily Yugi Moto."  
Upon hearing his last name Yugi remembered his dream and faltered. The master pushed him back a bit more.  
"'Course if I do get rid of you it will all be the better so that Master Yami can fully take over your body!"  
Yugi knew that he was no match for the master so he proposed an idea.  
"We'll have a duel to see who shall be kicked out."  
"Is that so? Well I accept because there's no way you could win without Yami helping you. And don't forget that I taught you everything else."  
With that they stopped pushing and took out their cards.

"I challenge you!"  
"I accept." The master said in his slightly greasy voice.

So they dueled. If Yugi had followed the master's training he would've lost. But since he used the heart of the cards and what he believed in, the master was soon being decimated. He would not give up though and refused to accept that Yugi was a better duelist.  
"I don't know what you're doing Moto but I assure you I wouldn't allow this."  
Yugi put down a card.  
"Well I do know what I'm doing and it is allowed." Yugi's card attacked the master's card and it went into the graveyard.  
"Only a few more life points until I beat you. I wish I didn't have to do this though.."  
"Well I don't regret this." The master put down another card.  
The master had put down a magic card and he watched as Yugi's life points were halved and given to him.  
The duel continued. Yugi kept on paring down the master's life points but somehow the master would always find a way to get them back. At last Yugi drew his trump card.  
"I summon the Dark Magician with the help of this magic card!"  
Yugi pushed forward his Dark Magician and as it cleared the master's life points he heard,  
"Well done Yugi," a clapping sound reached his ears, "but you've got to get rid of me next."

"Yami" whispered Yugi.  
The master was still standing but he had a defeated look in his eyes.  
"Send me away now Master!" The master then dissolved as he looked upwards.  
"I'll deal with you, Yugi." Yami's voice vibrated above.

Yugi waited thinking something would happen. Nothing did.  
He waited. Still nothing.  
Yugi sighed with relief and put away his cards and settled down to regain some of the strength that he had lost in the duel.

Yugi woke up. He was in his body for once.  
"Yugi!" His mother's voice floated up into his room. "Aren't you up yet?" Her voice was closer now. Yugi got out of his bedsheets to look awake.  
The door opened. "Yugi! You're usually up by now!" Her violet eyes, the same shade as his, were hard for a moment but then softened. "You must have been up all night with your cards again. Yugi, oh Yugi must you always be obsessed about them?"  
"Mother!" Yugi got off his bed and stood in front of his mother.  
"Oh yes I know you must for some reason." She hugged him.  
She then held him out at an arm's length. "Must you wear your clothes to bed? And wear such dark colours as well? I'd rather not have my son looking like a... a.. a.. punk."  
Yugi looked at her.  
"Well at least you aren't going around half naked. I suppose that's something." She turned around to face the door. "Breakfast is still waiting for you, though you might need to warm up the toast. I'll be going out to do some shopping in a few minutes and your grandfather is downstairs in the shop. Have a good day Yugi." She smiled as she closed the door behind her.  
Yugi listened for a few minutes as he heard her leave. The front door closed and a voice. She was saying goodbye to grandpa. Yugi smiled as he felt the normality of life wash over him. He looked down at his clothes, they did need washing. He headed towards the bathroom.

Yugi looked in his mirror. He looked exactly the same as he did when he crawled out of bed apart from his clothes weren't creased and his hair was still a bit floppy from his shower.  
He felt a presence in his mind. He whirled around. He was back inside his mind's battlefield. Yami was there looking, as usual, exactly like him.  
"I had to send the master off. That's why I wasn't here this morning. But I was here to notice the remark made by your mum." He looked daggers at Yugi. "I was made so seething by that I forgot to attack you then. But I wouldn't attack you from behind so I waited until now."  
"So what is it going to be? A duel or just a match of mental strength?" Yugi's face was set in a grim expression making him look very like Yami.  
"Well I'll let you choose." Yami looked at his nails in mock boredom. "I'd like to see what you could throw at me."  
"I've already made my mind up!" Yugi charged at Yami knocking the breath from him.

They fought. It was a real street brawl, one that would have made Tristan proud ten times over. Yugi threw a punch at Yami. Yami was knocked back but not unconcious. Yami attacked full on. Yugi kept on fighting. He was flailing blindly but hit Yami in the face forcefully. Yami was dazed. Yugi now had the upper hand and kept on punching him on and on and on.  
"For taking away my life and living it falsely." Yugi thought of all the things that Yami had done and for each of them a punch. He was soon unconscious and Yugi was still piling it on him. When Yugi stopped he was kneeling on top of Yami and Yami's face was bleeding. Yugi couldn't patch it up as it was only the mental face. Yugi stood up and walked away from it.

He was in his body again, leaning on his mirror.  
"I've got to tell someone about this." Yugi put on his deck belt and for the sake of it the millennium puzzle. Yami had long ago merged into his body but Yugi still kept the puzzle. He didn't bother to put his jacket on.  
"Grandpa! I'm going to visit my friends!" He shouted as he ran down the stairs.  
"Have a good day!" said his Grandpa as Yugi passed the front of the shop as he was sweeping.  
Yugi turned and waved. He then turned his face ahead.

"Who shall I go to? Duke and Tristan will be no use at all and Joey is visiting his sister... Mai would understand but she's always moving about, everybody else that would understand this is away overseas." He kept on thinking. No one else he knew would know how he felt... aside from his oldest friend.

"TEA!"  
Yugi headed towards her house still running at full speed not wanting Yami to become conscious until he was somewhere safe.

* * *

- 

This was my third attempt ever at writing a fanfiction. It was going to continue on from this, but I never got around to figuring out what the entire plot was.  
The only real reason why I'm uplaoding this is to see if anyone has any ideas for what I can improve on or any ideas which may become useful.

P.S. This was written well over two years ago and was based on a dream.


End file.
